<p>I was wondering what prospects for a career as a professor are. I am still an undergraduate but I plan on getting my PhD and this is one of the careers I am considering because I love research and teaching. I would either be in mechanical or aerospace engineering. I realize it is difficult to get a career at a university because it is so competitive but does anyone have any information about the percentage of graduates that become professors as opposed to go into industry, is this number growing, shrinking, staying the same?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>I don’t have any numbers. I will tell you that it is much easier to get a position as a professor in a professional field(like any type of engineering) vs. a pure academic field (ie physics or history). </p>
<p>I have a similar goal as you. I will tell you that when reading engineering professors online biographies, I have found that many many have industry experience and/or post-doc experience, so its kinda hard to say the percentage that go into industry vs academia. Many do both. Also, many take 1 to 3 years off to try to start or play a role starting a business. The universities often support this because the universites often take a cut of the $$ in the companies being started.</p>
<p>Also, Industry and academia are either cutting jobs or not hiring because of the economy. It is a tough time to try to figure out a long term trend.</p>